Patterns of Phytochemical Variation in Populations of Amaranthus Viridis In Two Ecological Zone Of Ghana

Abstract

The study aimed to assess the patterns of variations in total phenolic content, total flavonoid content, and antioxidant activity in populations of A. viridis in two different ecological zones of Ghana. Matured plant leaves of Amaranthus viridis were collected at two different locations namely Aburi Botanical Gardens and Legon Botani-cal Gardens and were subjected to ethanolic extraction. The extracts were analyzed for antioxidant activity using 1,1-diphenyl 1,1-2 picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging, total phenolic content was analyzed usingFolin-Ciocalteu reagent, and total flavonoid content was also analyzed using the Aluminium chloride colorimetric technique. The correlation of total phenolic content and total flavonoid content, total phenoliccontent and antioxidant activity, and, total flavonoid content and antioxidant activity all yielded a directly proportional association. Thus, as total phenolic content increased total flavonoid content also increased andthis applies to all the scenarios above. There was a substantial difference in the phenolic content as Aburi Botanical Gardens had a higher phenolic content than Legon Botanical Gardens. The semi-deciduous forest ofthe Aburi Botanical Garden and the coastal savannah of the Legon Botanical Garden, two contrasting ecological contexts, have diverse effects on the phytochemical composition of Amaranthus viridis, as this study has clarified.